Posts Tagged ‘Porozina’

Day 31. 55km. Porozina – Punat

Posted: October 13, 2014 in Croatia, Cycling
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Cres is a beautiful island! And my it’s hilly. Climbs under a clouded sky, and drops. From high high above the still blue water, the view back at the road traversed is spectacular.
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It was only to be a short ride to the ferry to Krk island to visit Annemieke – a Dutch friend of mine that has a house there. But I knew it would be tough.

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Spectacular views awaited.

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Note to self: Never assume anything about when a road will climb and when it will fall. The road to Merag – the boat to Krk island – caught me by surprise so many times. This time it must be downhill from here on. And then, yet again..

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It was good to see Annemieke and to have a lovely relaxing afternoon together in the sun.

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Day 30. 93km. Vrsar – Porozina

Posted: October 13, 2014 in Croatia, Cycling
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I lie on the grass overlooking the pebbly beach. I hear the sound of the waves lapping. The stars are out, after the fading of colours of the high rugged mountains opposite. I am wild camping on Cres island in Croatia. Stunning.

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Today I crossed the Istrian peninsula from one side to the other. Its bigger than it looks and hilly to boot. I cycled along quiet roads that meandered from one little town to the next. I passed fields, forests, grassy plains as I climbed up a bit, then drop a bit, then climb some more.

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I don’t know if they are glacial, but I passed two very steep grooves in the landscape. Rolling hillsides, then bang – a steep rut in the landscape. They were sweaty work climbing out of, but were very pretty.

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Along the bottom of the grooves were lovely flat valleys, that rose up steeply on the sides like a glacial u-valley.

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I had a ferry to catch at 16.30 to the island of Cres. I thought at first I could catch the earlier one at 13.30. Silly me. It is hot and steep. In the end, I pushed myself up the steep hills, dripping in sweat to make it in time.

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I asked around for a flat bit of ground to camp. They pointed me to the village beach. Not a bad spot for my first wild camp..

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Postscript: Its 4:30 am in my tent. I look into myself. No. I’m not scared. But I’m listening intently. I can only hear. All I see is the inside of the tent with my big pupiled eyes.
I recognise the lapping of the water. Sometimes a gurgle.
The water is quite relaxing. I can imagine it lapping on the pebbles and the rocks on the end on the beach.
Then a snap. I twig breaking in the steeply rising forest behind me. My ears perk up. Then another one. Snap. Then a small rumble as a slide of small rocks chatter down the slope.
Gurgle gurgle. Lap lap.
I start to doze.
Then with an automatic jolt of adrenalin I am brought to my senses by a gallop of something across the pebbly beach.
Gurgle gurgle. Lap  lap.
Snap.
Then something running around on the grass. A reindeer? I’ve no idea. About that size, I’d guess.
Wait. Just then I heard a bird sound together with the snap and rumble. A big bird?
Gurgle gurgle. Lap lap.
I think I know all the sounds. Time for sleep. I have a big hill to climb before the next ferry to krk.